Hello,
in that case for the firmware version issue as far as i know there are some firmware versions tha are preinstalled on the drive and may differ from batch to batch fo the drives if a change was made inside but the model stays the same.
i do not know if sandisk decides to produce an open firmware version that you can install extra to the drive to ensure that you will be using the same version on the drive.
i still hope that you will not have any other issues with the drive and enjoy the full speed of it.
